The December 2013 newsletter features articles about Alexander Hamilton and his relationship to Nevis by Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society Vice-President Nicole Scholet, President of the Hamilton Partnership for Paterson Leonard Zax, Director of the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society Evelyn Henville, and more.This special issue was published in honor of the 225th anniversary of Alexander Hamilton becoming the first US Secretary of the Treasury.
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Inside this issue: Inside this issue: Inside this issue: Inside this issue: Celebrating Hamil- ton 1 Message from the Executive Director 3 Movie Producer Visits Nevis 4 Leonard Zax 8 Herzogs & Ollers Visit 12 Premier Amory 15 Nevis & New York Celebrate Hamilton 18 The Gathering The Gathering The Gathering The Gathering A Journal of the A Journal of the A Journal of the A Journal of the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society Nevis Historical and Conservation Society Nevis Historical and Conservation Society Nevis Historical and Conservation Society Issue 96 Our Mission Our Mission Our Mission Our Mission The Nevis Historical The Nevis Historical The Nevis Historical The Nevis Historical and Conservation and Conservation and Conservation and Conservation Society exists to Society exists to Society exists to Society exists to promote and facilitate promote and facilitate promote and facilitate promote and facilitate the effective management the effective management the effective management the effective management of the of the of the of the historical, cultural historical, cultural historical, cultural historical, cultural and natural resources and natural resources and natural resources and natural resources of the of the of the of the island of Nevis island of Nevis island of Nevis island of Nevis for the benefit of for the benefit of for the benefit of for the benefit of all its people. all its people. all its people. all its people. Celebrating the boy that was Shaped by Nevis and the Man he became to Shape the World! By Nicole Scholet By Nicole Scholet By Nicole Scholet By Nicole Scholet Anniversaries are a special time to remind us of important events in our history. It causes more people to pay attention as they reflect on what has happened as a result of an historical milestone. It re-ignites interest as people re-examine from a modern perspective a definitive moment in our history. Anniversaries are also opportunities to shine a spotlight on locations associated with historical figures and events. And what better way to introduce the beauty of Nevis to the world than by commemorating Alex- ander Hamilton's time as Secretary of the Treas- ury? As people learn about Hamilton's roots in Nevis, they will discover more about the island he came from and how it influenced his mindset as Treasury Secretary. By connecting to its local history and engaging as a part of this larger story, Nevis will gain more attention for all that it has to offer. Alexander Hamilton wasn’t just a Secretary of Treasury. He was the first. When he came into office, the Treasury Department was barely a week old. And not only was there not an estab- lished structure for the department, but the econo- my was in terrible condition. Alexander Hamilton had to overcome a national economy experiencing hyperinflation, poor credit, a lack of banks and markets, and a high national debt with uncertain means of paying it off. The period before Alexan- der Hamilton took office was the worst economi- cally that the United States has ever faced. Even before Alexander Hamilton was confirmed as Secretary of the Treasury on September 11, 1789, he was working to solve these economic prob- lems. He knew that a sound economy was critical to preserving the union and proving the viability of the US Constitution. After studying the minutest details of the economy, even down to the types and quantities of imported goods at collections ports, Secretary Hamilton churned out several iconic re- ports for Congress. Most of the proposals in Hamil- ton's reports were enacted into law, including the Bank of the United States, the US Mint, the Revenue Cutter Service (today the US Coast Guard), and more. Within a few years, Hamilton's eco- nomic programs had stabilized the nation's economy, improved the credit of the nation to spur industry, and re-ignited com- merce. These programs created a solid economic foundation that the United States has built upon for the past 225 years to become the largest economy in the world. A penniless, young orphan born on Nevis, worked as a clerk at a mercantile firm on St. Croix, went on to become one of the most important figures in the history of the United States. His influence does not stop at US borders. Many of his seminal programs implemented in the US were adopted by other coun- tries throughout the world, including here in Nevis. (Continued on page 6) December 2013 Special Issue on Alexander Hamilton
Transcript
I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e :I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e :I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e :I n s i d e t h i s i s s u e :
Celebrating Hamil-
ton 1
Message from the
Executive Director 3
Movie Producer
Visits Nevis 4
Leonard Zax 8
Herzogs & Ollers
Visit 12
Premier Amory 15
Nevis & New York
Celebrate Hamilton
18
The GatheringThe GatheringThe GatheringThe Gathering A Journal of theA Journal of theA Journal of theA Journal of the
Nevis Historical and Conservation SocietyNevis Historical and Conservation SocietyNevis Historical and Conservation SocietyNevis Historical and Conservation Society Issue 96
Our MissionOur MissionOur MissionOur Mission
The Nevis Historical The Nevis Historical The Nevis Historical The Nevis Historical
and Conservation and Conservation and Conservation and Conservation
Society exists to Society exists to Society exists to Society exists to
promote and facilitate promote and facilitate promote and facilitate promote and facilitate
the effective management the effective management the effective management the effective management
of the of the of the of the
historical, cultural historical, cultural historical, cultural historical, cultural
and natural resources and natural resources and natural resources and natural resources
of the of the of the of the
island of Nevis island of Nevis island of Nevis island of Nevis
for the benefit of for the benefit of for the benefit of for the benefit of
all its people.all its people.all its people.all its people.
Celebrating the boy that was Shaped by Nevis and the Man he became to Shape the World!
By Nicole ScholetBy Nicole ScholetBy Nicole ScholetBy Nicole Scholet
Anniversaries are a special time to remind us of important events in our history. It causes more people to pay attention as they reflect on what has happened as a result of an historical milestone. It re-ignites interest as people re-examine from a modern perspective a definitive moment in our history. Anniversaries are also opportunities to shine a spotlight on locations associated with historical figures and events. And what better way to introduce the beauty of Nevis to the world than by commemorating Alex-ander Hamilton's time as Secretary of the Treas-ury? As people learn about Hamilton's roots in Nevis, they will discover more about the island he came from and how it influenced his mindset as Treasury Secretary. By connecting to its local history and engaging as a part of this larger story, Nevis will gain more attention for all that it has to offer. Alexander Hamilton wasn’t just a Secretary of Treasury. He was the first. When he came into office, the Treasury Department was barely a week old. And not only was there not an estab-lished structure for the department, but the econo-my was in terrible condition. Alexander Hamilton had to overcome a national economy experiencing hyperinflation, poor credit, a lack of banks and markets, and a high national debt with uncertain means of paying it off. The period before Alexan-der Hamilton took office was the worst economi-cally that the United States has ever faced. Even before Alexander Hamilton was confirmed as Secretary of the Treasury on September 11, 1789, he was working to solve these economic prob-lems. He knew that a sound economy was critical
to preserving the union and proving the viability of the US Constitution. After studying the minutest details of the economy, even down to the types and quantities of imported goods at collections ports, Secretary Hamilton churned out several iconic re-ports for Congress. Most of the proposals in Hamil-ton's reports were enacted into law, including the
Bank of the United States, the US Mint, the Revenue Cutter Service (today the US Coast Guard), and more. Within a few years, Hamilton's eco-nomic programs had stabilized the nation's economy, improved the credit of the nation to spur industry, and re-ignited com-merce. These programs created
a solid economic foundation that the United States has built upon for the past 225 years to become the largest economy in the world. A penniless, young orphan born on Nevis, worked as a clerk at a mercantile firm on St. Croix, went on to become one of the most important figures in the history of the United States. His influence does not stop at US borders. Many of his seminal programs implemented in the US were adopted by other coun-tries throughout the world, including here in Nevis.
As we celebrate Alexander Hamilton’s 257th anniversary of his birth in 2014 we also celebrate the 225th Anniversary of his appointment as Secretary to the US Treasury I presented the following talk to our young scholarship winners at our Hamilton Tea Party and would like to share it with you, our members and friends. In my talk I tried to answer the question : How does a boy born on little Nevis end up on the United States $10 bill? Many persons have said and believe that Hamil-ton's boyhood days on Nevis and St. Croix had no relationship or impact on his future. Here are some of the things Hamilton learned from his experiences as a boy which impacted his devel-opment as a man: 1. He learned the importance of law when the law forbid his mother from remarrying, and Hamilton and his brother were not allowed to inherit any part of their mother's estate. Through this experience Hamilton learnt, early on, the importance of laws and their effect on people's lives. Hamilton became a lawyer. 2. He learned the importance of work. Records show that Hamilton went to work as early as eight years old, and he excelled in his jobs. Here he learned that excelling in work was the surest path to reach his dreams. And That He Did!!! 3. He learned about slavery and he learned about liberty. Hamilton grew up just a stones’ throw away from the Charlestown Slave Market where he saw the harshness of slavery, as they were taken from the boats and sold in the market. Hamilton worked hard in his adult life to abolish slavery in the United States. He felt that if given the same opportunities as their owners, slaves were just as capable. He felt black people were equal. He never subscribed to inequality. He was the one who first said blacks were just as capable as
whites in the army. He interjected into the American Constitution his belief that all men were created equal. Hamilton was the one to define the definition of freedom later in his life in New York. In his writings he said. "The only distinction between freedom and slavery is: In freedom, a man is governed by the laws to which he has given his consent, either in person, or by his representative. In slav-ery, a man is governed by the will of anoth-er." 4. He learned about medicine. As a young boy, Hamilton shared the same bed with his mother during her final illness and was her caretaker and had to administer her herbal concoctions. It is no accident that Hamilton, at King's College, which is now Columbia University, took a medical course and ever after was interested in treating dis-eases, and was a big believer in herbal cures. 5. He learned about money and com-merce. Nevis held a position of prominence during the time that Hamilton was growing up. By 1666, Nevis had become the administrative
Continued on page 7
Ms. Evelyn
Henville,
Executive
Director,
NHCS
Alexander Hamilton for National Hero!
t
(L-R) Film maker,
Rudy Langlais,
Amba Trott,
Evelyn Henville,
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T h e G a t h e r i n g
Hollywood film maker, Rudy Langlais who was born in Irish Town, St. Kitts was back home to make preliminary preparations of the shooting of the envisaged feature film “Young Hamilton.” Journalists were curious about his roots before he talked about his film project at a Press Conference held at the Alexander Hamilton Museum. “What I remember most about it was that it was a one room house right by the spring. I remember women carrying water on their heads. I went to school right across the street” said Langlais. Langlais migrated to USA when he was only six years old. He will bring to the Federa-tion of St. Kitts and Nevis a wealth of experi-ence, having being educated at the world renowned Fordham University, New York. Langlais began his career as a journalist and newspaper and magazine editor at THE STAR-LEDGER, the largest newspaper in New Jersey before he became a film maker. Langlais began his career in film with VOICE founder Norman Mailer, adapting writer
Tipped to shoot “Young Hamilton” on NevisTipped to shoot “Young Hamilton” on NevisTipped to shoot “Young Hamilton” on NevisTipped to shoot “Young Hamilton” on Nevis By Newsletter Team, NHCSBy Newsletter Team, NHCSBy Newsletter Team, NHCSBy Newsletter Team, NHCS
Henry Miller’s trilogy THE ROSY CRUCIFIXION for 20th Century Fox and director Milos Forman (AMADEUS, ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST). This was followed by Mailer adapting a story written by Langlais about American gangsters in Cuba in the 1950s, for Universal Pictures. Shortly after Langlais began developing films, he gained his start with a film about Russian poet/revolutionary Alexander Pushkin, with Quincy Jones, written by Den-nis Potter, and a film about Napoleon and the Pope, written by Jack Briley, the Oscar-winning writer of GANDHI. He went on to produce for Miramax LOVE CRIMES, directed by Lizzie Borden, and, in 1996, the drama SUGAR HILL, starring Wesley Snipes for Bea-con Pictures and 20thCentury Fox. Langlais has always been fascinated by historical biog-raphies. He is interested in Hamilton because Hamil-ton was born on Nevis and he never forgot his roots. “I have a special interest in a man who had such a pow-erful role to play in the invention of America. Invent-ing of America came from Nevis. I knew early on he was from Nevis because he did not hide that fact,” Langlais told journalists. Apparently there is very little written about Hamilton’s childhood. “Maybe there was some laziness. If you are going to write about him, you need to come here. See the place of origin and understand what it meant that he was from here. And that his formative years were here. He left here having a formative experience. That formative period was important but you have to come to the place to understand,” he said. “It is what he takes from here that shaped his mind, shaped his philosophy as a young man. He was a bril-liant young man. Those years defined who he would become. We are calling the film, “Young Hamilton.” It is about that period of time. It is about his relationship with his mother who was quite an extraordinary wom-an. She was a role model, a towering strength. We are clear this woman had an important role to play. Continued on page 5
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Tipped to shoot “Young Hamilton” on NevisTipped to shoot “Young Hamilton” on NevisTipped to shoot “Young Hamilton” on NevisTipped to shoot “Young Hamilton” on Nevis
Her strength, her spirit was not broken by her circumstances here.” “There are a few books that tell us something about her. When you sit down to do a film such as this, you put researchers down to it. The writer of the screen play is a researcher. We hire scholars who are themselves researchers. At a certain point as with any film, drama takes over which means that you have to create a dramatic story. You move from the actual into the arena of art. We will dramatise those things that we do not know,” the renowned film maker said. Executive Director, Nevis Historical and Conservation Society, Evelyn Henville, revealed during the press conference that there are historical accounts in museums that record Hamilton mother’s experiences. His mother was born on Nevis from French parentage. “Those writings and journals that were withheld are now available in many museums of history, the Muse-um of American Finance and are in the hands of his great great grandson. You gain insight as to who his mother was by read-ing about her circumstances. The Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society is one of the organisations that relay and distribute correct historical information about Hamilton.” Asked how the Nevis community will be involved during the production of “Young Hamilton” Langlais explained: “We are going to have a fairly large cast. We will use actors, some of which we have already met in the community. We will find roles for them to play in the film. Hamilton’s mother is going to be an interesting choice in this and his grandmother. That is probably going to be an actor from abroad. There are a few actors we are considering. We will see who ends up playing Hamilton’s mother. Hamilton will be played by a young boy. It will be an interesting search for the actor. We will essential-ly portray him from birth to a teenager. We will carry it up to that point. Do we go to New York revolutionary years? We might end it while he is on the boat going to America. Our goal is to portray those years we see him as young Hamilton on Nevis.”
The philosophies espoused by Hamilton are still recognized today for their brilliance and foresight into our modern world. Alexander Hamilton never forgot his roots. Having witnessed the atroci-ties of slavery in Nevis and St. Croix, Alexander Hamilton worked to free slaves and to protect free blacks' rights in both his personal and public life. Hamilton co-founded the New York Manumission Society to gain support for slavery’s abolition. He lobbied for slaves to be allowed to fight in the Revolutionary War in exchange for their freedom. He supported New York’s first gradual emancipation bill. During his tenure as Secretary of the Treasury, the Revenue Cutter Service that he creat-ed took on the role of seizing ships illegally smuggling slaves into the US. By the time slavery was abolished in the US, over 500 of these slave ships had been intercepted, freeing hundreds, if not thousands, of would-be slaves. Celebrating this anniversary does not just mean remembering the eco-nomic policies that affect our quality of life every day. By celebrating Alexander Hamilton, we are celebrating all the things that he fought for - education, liberty, stable political and economic systems, and opportu-nities for all, no matter one's background, religion, or race. We are celebrating the boy that was shaped by Nevis, and the man he became to shape the world. Join the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society and the Alexander Hamilton Awareness (AHA) Society in 2014 for the 225th anniversary celebration of Alexander Hamilton as Secretary of the US Treasury.
Celebrate Alexander Hamilton Celebrate Alexander Hamilton Celebrate Alexander Hamilton Celebrate Alexander Hamilton By Nicole Scholet By Nicole Scholet By Nicole Scholet By Nicole Scholet
Vice-President, The Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society Web: www.the-aha-society.com
"Experience is the oracle of truth; and where
its responses are unequivocal, they ought to be conclusive and sacred" ~Alexander Hamil-ton
centre of the Leeward Islands. It grew in both size and importance, and took on the title “Queen of the Caribbees.” For the next century, Nevis would dominate the Caribbean region economically. Hamilton’s experience with this economic vibrancy must have impacted his belief system about money. On St. Croix Hamilton had to be fluent in various currencies and exchange rates where he worked with merchants and ships. But aside from money itself, Hamilton learned that merchants depended on a wide variety of financial methods to secure their businesses and move their goods. In those days all merchant activities depended upon the good name of the merchant, his business contacts, and, most of all, confidence—you had to have confidence that those who you traded with will honor their commitments. 6. He learned about smuggling, tax evasion and truth. Because the difference between profit and loss was often slight, many merchants evaded taxes whenever possible. It was not unheard of for merchants to bribe customs officials, doctor ship manifests, or even engage in smuggling. He knew a lot about collecting revenue and preventing smuggling because of his life working in that business on St. Croix. Hamilton’s motto was "Truth is great and will prevail." 7. He learned about helping others. Helping others was one of the most important lessons Hamilton learned early in life. Help from others was always a part of Hamilton’s life, especially after his mother died. In a letter to his father describing the Hurricane of 1772 Hamilton already knew the importance of helping others. In his letter he advised his father to act wisely and quickly to help the afflictions of others and it will help him to lay up a treasure in Heaven. 8. He learned to study. In later life, there are several wonderful stories of Hamilton walking back and forth, talking to himself. In one, a store owner refused to change a large bill for Hamilton, who came in and presented it after walking back and forth outside the shop, talking furiously to himself. The shop owner thought Hamilton was crazy. And the owner refused to change the bill, because, he felt that if this crazy man lost some of the money he, the shopkeeper, would be blamed—he would be accused of taking advantage of an obviously impaired man. Hamilton spent whatever time that was available to him pouring over a subject that he had to write about; and then he repeated the necessary information over and over, sometimes out loud, until he mastered it. He was like a sponge, soaking up whatever information he needed or wanted to learn. 9. He learned to value time. Hamilton believed that time was very important and not to be wasted. There are a number of reports of instances during the Revolution when Hamilton was absent while General George Washington and his aides socialized. In-stead, Hamilton used the time to devour a subject or writing to a confidant or member of Congress about the state of affairs. Alexander Hamilton did not waste time. It was a lesson he learnt from the large responsibilities he had to carry as a boy which made him mature early. 10. He learned to think. Hamilton learned, early on, to put aside passions and prejudices and to think clearly about a subject. He was never content to win an argument using emotions, Hamilton learned to look at all sides of a subject and to reason his way to the clearest possible conclusion. That is why his writing on the hurricane as a boy was so impactful to his future because it was obvious that Hamilton was already in possession of and utilizing this important ability at an early age. Parents, these 10 points on Hamilton’s learnings as a boy say to you that you must not dismiss hard work from your children’ lives, do not shelter them from making mistakes, do not shelter them from adversities. This is how they learn, through their mistakes, through hard work and adversities. Continued on page 10
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Alexander Hamilton for National Hero! cont’d from page 3
T h e G a t h e r i n g
Leonard Zax Visits Nevis Leonard Zax Visits Nevis Leonard Zax Visits Nevis Leonard Zax Visits Nevis By Newsletter Team By Newsletter Team By Newsletter Team By Newsletter Team
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From the eyes of a visitor… How Alexander Hamilton links
Nevis to a city he founded in the USA as told by Leonard Zax,
President of the Hamilton Partnership for Paterson Great Falls
National Park, New Jersey. America’s newest national Park!
Leonard A Zax visited Nevis to fulfill a dream that almost
eluded him when a cruise ship he was on could not dock on
the island as the sea was too rough.
“My first visit was in December 2012. I was on a cruise ship
that on December 23rd, entered out there (pointing to the sea)
but the water was too rough. The captain of the ship said, no
one can leave the cruise ship and I begged the captain to let
me go because I had scheduled the two-week cruise with my
family so we could spend one day on Nevis. Mrs. Henville
(Executive Director, NHCS) was kind enough to organize dinner with the trustees. I was coming to see the Alexander
Hamilton Museum. The captain said no, I called everyone and said this is terrible. I waved in tears and I promised I
would come here again. I came and I will be back” said Zax.
He had always wanted to visit Alexander Hamilton’s birthplace, Nevis, as he is President of the non- profit that has
facilitated the establishment of America’s newest National Park in Paterson, New Jersey, a city founded by Alexan-
der Hamilton.
Zax gave the history of Paterson. “Paterson today is a city of 150,000 people. It was founded in 1792 by Nevis’ na-
tive son, Alexander Hamilton. We hope that the people of Nevis can fully appreciate a link between Paterson and
Nevis. We have the honor of having in Hamilton as our founding father of Paterson. President Obama signed legisla-
tion that Congress passed establishing America’s newest National Park in Paterson. We have formally established a
national park around a spectacular 77-feet waterfall; that is why Alexander Hamilton decided there should be a city
here, when he was the Minister of Treasury.”
“He believed the USA should manufacture everything it uses. He was concerned that even though we won the war
against Great Britain, the USA would be forever at the mercy of Great Britain unless we manufactured in the USA
everything we need. There was no manufacturing in the USA at the time. All goods, even military supplies, were
bought in Britain. So, he decided we have to get manufacturing going. Manufacturing, he said would be the next new
thing.”
“In the 1790s, manufacturing was the ‘high tech’ of the day, and what he did was to create a city that would incubate
the new businesses much like the Silicon Valley in California for companies today like Face Book and Google and
Apple. The first Corporation which he drafted articles of incorporation for, he raised $500,000, a very large sum of
money at the time, to incorporate one of the first corporations in the USA. It was enormously important because it
would plan the city of the future. It would plan a city that had land for factories and hydro power system.”
Continued on page 9
“Paterson would become the first place where the first cotton sail cloth was made for all the ships in the USA. It is
where the first American locomotives were made and the first motorized submarines. Paterson made more silk than
any other part of the world. The engine of the aircraft that pioneered the first transatlantic flight was a Paterson en-
gine. All of these things happened because of a man from Nevis.”
“Hamilton believed in attracting immigrants. He believed immigrants would make our nation stronger. He believed
that we would create a city of talents by bringing others who had things we did not offer. There were other founders
in the USA who did not think immigration was a good idea. Hamilton said just the opposite, that immigration makes
us stronger. He was also opposed to slavery. Some of our families had slaves and opposed slavery and they did not
like industry. They wanted us to remain an agrarian society based on agricultural economy.”
“He said we would not do it by creating policy statements but by creating the city of Paterson. The place only had ten
houses and it grew to have a 150,000 people. All because of a Nevis native son.”
Zax leads an organization that was an advocate for the park. “I drafted the legislation that would create the national
park. I organized the testimonies for leading Hamilton biographers in the USA who had actually been in Nevis. They
told me a great deal about Nevis and submitted testimonies about national heritage trusts.”
Zax is in discussions with the NHCS as to how Nevis can connect even more with Paterson’s National Park. “We are
talking about how we can educate our children to be global citizens. So, we are looking for connections to other plac-
es that have special relationships than Nevis. We have a statue of Alexander Hamilton at the heart of the Paterson
National Park looking at the great falls, just as he looked at it in the 1700s. I hope the people of Nevis will come to
Leonard Zax Visits Nevis Leonard Zax Visits Nevis Leonard Zax Visits Nevis Leonard Zax Visits Nevis By Newsletter Team By Newsletter Team By Newsletter Team By Newsletter Team cont’d from page 8cont’d from page 8cont’d from page 8cont’d from page 8
T h e G a t h e r i n g
t
Alexander Hamilton for National Hero Alexander Hamilton for National Hero Alexander Hamilton for National Hero Alexander Hamilton for National Hero cont’d from page 7cont’d from page 7cont’d from page 7cont’d from page 7
Let us look at Alexander Hamilton’s Achievements and see what mistakes, hard work and adversities produced: Many persons, when asked who was Alexan-der Hamilton often respond with he was the first Secretary of the US Treasury. But that was only one of Hamilton’s numerous achieve-ments. Alexander Hamilton became President George Washington’s most trusted aide in a relationship that spanned over 22 years. Un-der President George Washington, Hamilton was the most powerful man in the United States of America. Alexander Hamilton is responsible for the drafting of the United States Constitution. He coined the term ‘We The People’. He created the social responsibilities of the US government, such as equal access to education and health care. Alexander Hamilton created the “American dream” where anyone with hard work and education could aspire to the highest levels of accomplishment. How often have we heard the saying that the streets of America are paved with gold? This was the America Hamilton built. Alexander was the number one creator of the American economic system. He created the American Stock Exchange. Alexander Hamil-ton created the American Investment System. He created the Merit Approach which is a belief that those employees who work the hardest with the best results deserve to be paid more. His policies transformed America into the powerful country it is today. Alexander Hamilton started the United States Navy. He founded the United States Coast Guard. He started the bank of New York and founded the New York Post Newspaper. Alexander Hamilton formally proposed the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. He purchased the land on which the Academy sits.
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T h e G a t h e r i n g
Alexander Hamilton was a founding member of the African Free School in New York – this school was opened to provide an education to slaves. In 1835, the African Free School was integrated into the New York Public School System. Alexander Hamilton did a lot of pro bono work as a lawyer to help free our enslaved forefathers and worked to keep them free. Summary: You see, from a boy on Nevis, to the end of his days, Hamilton gave life his best thought and energy, and Nevis gave him life. Hamilton's Caribbean roots have been undervalued by many who have not even taken the time to read something about his life. Make no mistake about it; Hamilton’s life experiences on Nevis and St. Croix prepared the way for his future. And it was, as Hamilton told his own children, the most useful part of his education. In a letter to his wife, he referred to himself as a "Creole," Hamil-ton always embraced his island roots.
Is he worthy of National Hero? YES, why? His
achievements have heightened the world’s
awareness of Nevis. The products of his genius
mind have impacted the entire world. His name
is synonymous with Nevis. His achievements
may not have been on this soil, but he is credit-
ed with creating the one country on earth that
has impacted the entire world like no other, the
one country that every human being on earth
knows its name – America, and would die to
reach its shores. Countries all over the world
have patterned their economic and democratic
systems after this country - America.
Nevis as the cradle of Hamilton, this place, in a sense, is where America was really born. Nevis deserves that recognition.
cont’d on page 11cont’d on page 11cont’d on page 11cont’d on page 11
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Hamilton deserves his "place" – his birthplace, Nevis, is the setting for his developing mind, the launching pad from which he would join the ranks of the American Founding Fathers -- be firmly and forever acknowledged. It was Alexander Hamilton who wrote the policies which united the United States of America. It was Alexan-der Hamilton who had the vision of America and that is why he is referred to as ‘The Man Who Made Modern America,’ and that is why Alexander Hamilton has earned the right to be on the US$10 bill, and is worthy to be honoured by us as our next National Hero in Nevis!
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Founder of Museum of American Finance Speaks Founder of Museum of American Finance Speaks Founder of Museum of American Finance Speaks Founder of Museum of American Finance Speaks
on Hamilton Strategies on Hamilton Strategies on Hamilton Strategies on Hamilton Strategies
John Herzog Addresses Nevis Island Administration
Officials, Members and Staff of the NHCS and other mem-bers of the
general public during his visit to Alexander Hamilton Birthplace,
Nevis. Mu-Mu-Mu-Mu-
seum of seum of seum of seum of
Deputy Governor-
General Eustace John,
Premier Vance Amory
and Mrs. Amory, Board
of Directors and Execu-
tive Director of the
Nevis Historical and
Conservation Society,
all of Nevis’ students,
other honored guests,
other Government Offi-
cials and everyone
amongst us today, Di-
ana and I want you all
to know how happy we are to be in Nevis and to enjoy this gorgeous island, but more important to
meet and enjoy the very gracious and charming way that everyone has acted with us.
We are extremely pleased but had no idea what to expect here, it is our first trip here and we are just so
happy. The arrangements for our visit and the detailed activities that we have been doing were very
carefully and thoughtfully arranged and the generosity that we have experienced is just beyond our
expectations. If public relations, word of mouth is a good thing, I can assure you that you have made a
wonderful investment and we thank you.
I’ve been a collector of financial documents and memorabilia for nearly fifty years and when I found
my first Alexander Hamilton document, I was thrilled. I got to know him then, not very well, it took
me a long time to discover the different attributes that Hamilton had to offer, but that was an exciting
experience and there have been more things about Hamilton lately than ever before. Interestingly,
Hamilton is on the up-swing.
The Museum of American Finance held its very first Hamilton exhibition twenty-five years ago and it
was the first time in America that anyone thought of having such an exhibit. We couldn’t get over
that. We knew the genius he was and we thought “yeah” this is way over due. After the museum
exhibit the Historical Society in New York had a very important exhibit and there has been lots of other
important exhibits since then.
In recent years as we would learn more about him, others have become interested, and amongst those is
the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society (AHA) and we are very pleased that Mariana and Tom are
here with us today and have been with us during our visit and their boss, Rand Scholet, is in Clear
Water, Florida. There is a growing awareness because of their research efforts. These individuals have
given and also events they have organized in America to celebrate various things that Hamilton partici-
pated in or his accomplishments continue to heighten awareness about him.
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As Evelyn Henville mentioned, last January 11th, we had this wonderful duel birthday party and because
of internet video we were able to sing “Happy Birthday” to Hamilton in Nevis and at the Museum of
American Finance at the same time, that was really terrific and it required a lot of effort.
What other thing that makes it so attractive to researchers and to other folks like me. I am not an academ-
ic person, I was a business man all my life and I was in the business of trading NASDAQ stocks, not much
time for research when you have to take customers out at night, but I used my collection as my way of
experiencing the past.
The Alexander Hamilton we know was a keen observer, a thinker and he was also a worker. He knew that
education was very important and he was ambitious, and an ardent student. He knew that personal ad-
vancement was very important. When he went to America it was the eve of the Revolutionary War, and
he quickly became associated with those who wanted to achieve independence, and he fought in the war.
He was Washington Aid De Camp and a devoted and loyal friend for the next twenty years and that was a
very important friendship.
He studied financial development and he read Adam Smith and knew what modern financial accomplish-
ments were, that was unusual. Congress in America did not have any idea of finance, they just did not
understand it. It is said now that half of Washington’s correspondence, most of which Hamilton wrote
was devoted to financial issues trying to get Congress to give money to the army to win the war, it was
very difficult.
After the war, Hamilton led the call for a constitutional convention in 1787 and he was a supporter of a
strong central government. He wrote most of the Federalist Papers and in them, he described the different
aspects of the constitution so that they would be more understandable to the general public. Over 200
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Premier Amory Welcome the Herzogs and OllersPremier Amory Welcome the Herzogs and OllersPremier Amory Welcome the Herzogs and OllersPremier Amory Welcome the Herzogs and Ollers
T h e G a t h e r i n g
(L-R): Founder of the American Museum of
Finance in New York, John Herzog and his
wife Diana, Premier of Nevis and Minister
of Finance Hon. Vance Amory, President of
the New England Chapter of the Alexander
Hamilton Awareness Society, Marianna and
her husband Dr. Tom Oller.
Founder of the American Museum of Finance in New York , John Herzog, visited the birth place of Alexander Hamilton, the Nevisian who later be-came the first Secretary of the United States Treasury. Herzog, who annual-ly helps host the wreath laying remem-
brance of Hamilton in New York City, toured Nevis as well as St. Kitts with his wife, Diana and President of the New England Chapter of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society, Mrs. Mariana Oller and her husband Dr. Tom Oller. “We came because of Alexander Hamilton and then we have discovered this very beautiful and lovely is-land and we will be back,” said Herzog. Premier of Nevis, Vance Amory, welcomed this four-member group to Nevis. Amory noted that Nevis should capitalize on the linkage of Hamilton and the island with the U.S. because it is an important one which could only redound to the benefit of Nevisians through visitors and invest-ments. “We believe that the Hamilton Record justifies a closer examination and a bet-ter and more interesting relationship between the Alexander Hamilton Muse-um here and the Museum of American Finance in New York and the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society. We think that Hamilton is a very saleable product and we think that his background and his accomplishments will bring other people to Nevis and we hope to be helpful in that process,” Herzog added. Continued on page 15
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Mrs. Oller also explained she was on Nevis to carry out the mandate of the Alexander Ham-ilton Awareness Society in the United States. “I am here as a representative of the Alexan-der Hamilton Awareness Society (AHA Society). Our Society has a mission to raise aware-ness of Hamilton’s accomplishments and his incredible role in the founding of the United States of America. We believe that awareness should be raised not only in the United States, St. Kitts and Nevis as well and everywhere around the world,” she said. Hamilton was born on January 11, 1757, on the island of Nevis. In 1777, Hamilton became General George Washington’s assistant. In 1788, he convinced New Yorkers to agree to ratify the U.S Constitution. He then served as the nation’s First Secretary of the Treasury. Hamilton stepped down from his position as Secretary of the Treasury in 1795, leaving be-hind a far more secure U.S. economy to back a strengthened federal government.
On July 12, 1804, in New York City, Hamilton died of a gunshot wound that he sustained
years later, the Federalist Papers are a crucial element of the American legal thinking - that is our Alexander Hamil-
ton, your Alexander Hamilton!
He was appointed the first Secretary of the US Treasury and given the responsibility for organizing the financial
issues, a brand new country that was bankrupt with a brand new constitution and a lot of founding fathers who was
at each other’s throat, and a time that was a difficult era. He was also a lawyer and he argued successfully extreme-
ly important American Constitutional Law cases and the outcome of his arguments have influenced American legal
activity for the last 200 plus years. The outstanding element of Alexander Hamilton however, in my mind was his
unquestioned personal integrity.
When we read the papers today, don’t we wish that we had people like that in important positions all over the
world? How come, how come, he got all this stuff? Where did he get it from? Should we be assuming because
more or less we read about DNA, should we think, well, that all that was genetic stuff? That there was nothing we
could have done, it was all his parents and that is that. We could think that – I don’t think that. I would prefer to
think that Hamilton’s genius came from his keen observations of his early life here on the islands.
When his mother died he was all alone, he didn’t have the support that we read about in the newspapers, where it is
said that this child need the support of this one and that one and so on and so forth. He didn’t have any of that sup-
port. All of his relatives had disappeared, he had been born out of wed-lock and he was referred to by John Adams
during all their business dealings as the bastard son of the Scottish Lawyer and Hamilton knew about that, he had to
overcome all of that thinking.
When he went to the US he was deeply involved in what was going on immediately. He went to Kings College
which later became Columbia University and he did not finish that degree, but he later studied law. The experienc-
es that he obtained when he got himself an appointment as the clerk in the Branch Office of an American trading
firm on St. Croix enabled him to see the action that was going on in the islands. The islands were the place where
the real action was in the Eighteenth Century.
Sugar was one of the most profitable endeavors anyone could do and there were people coming and going, commer-
cial efforts all the time. Hamilton saw that and he learned what was going on and when the boss was away on a trip
he was put in charge of the office and after a while the bosses said to themselves, “You know this kid is really okay,
he has got talent, let us send him up to the mainland and let him have some education” and that is what happened.
We have this marvelous history and we know about the history, we know that he grew up on this site. We are here
in his home on the 30th Anniversary of the restoration of this building. It had been in ruins for a long time and seri-
ous storms years before. Let us take a look back and think to ourselves if Hamilton was here today, what would he
think of his house? Would he come in and recognize it? I don’t think so. I don’t think he thought that the Nevis
House of Assembly would be where we are or with a museum down below. What did we do? We had his history,
we had his house, which we called Hamilton House and what happened was we restored it, but we also re-purposed
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T h e G a t h e r i n g
it. We let it come out of history. We dust it off from its previous functions and we made it for our
needs today and tomorrow. Let us try that thought another way. Let us think to ourselves for a mo-
ment, could we un-burden Hamilton’s intellectual home, and restore those ideas and re-purpose
those ideas to our needs today. Hamilton’s records are very well preserved. There are the Hamilton
papers, there are several excellent biographies, and work is ongoing on re-interpreting what he said
on any number of subjects, and we have before us in the morning newspapers the results of Hamil-
ton’s policies.
In the credit crisis that we have all endured in the past five years, the Treasury Department and the
Federal Reserve got lots of criticism because they printed all that money. Oh my God, how could
that happen, and yet the formula that the Federal Reserve used is the same formula that Alexander
Hamilton developed and used in 1791 when the first financial panic arose in New York. The funds
that he created, the first funds of the US National Debt were trading actively and as usual there were
speculators and the speculators brought too many and then they sold too many and they lost their
control of what they were doing. They could not meet their obligations in the market place.
There was a financial panic, Hamilton knew that would not be good and he wrote some letters, there
were only three banks in the nation at that time. He wrote to the Bank of New York in a letter that
the museum has for all of you to see. He told them to keep buying Treasury Bonds and I will send
you the money to pay for them when I can, and they did that, and he wrote to the other two banks
and he got the help of the banking community and he supplied the liquidity to the market place
which enabled the dealers to settle their transactions and meet their responsibility and the panic went
away in a couple of months.
Ever since then, central banks and others faced with this sort of a problem have done exactly what
Hamilton did. So we don’t have to say to ourselves, you know guys, it was okay in the 1800s, but
you know he died and now what we have is just his history. We would be thinking, wait a second,
see what else is in the Hamilton box that we could take out of the box, examine carefully and re-
interpret for our current problems today. That would be very exciting. That test, that opportunity is
filled with wonderful results. It will not be easy to interpret lots of pages of history on behalf of
today’s problems in many different areas, but we ought to be thinking, what can Hamilton do for
Nevis today? We ought to be thinking, wait a second, we could lead this effort, or we could partici-
pate in this effort.
We could be thinking how can we dust off that history, bring it back to life so we are all aware of it
and let people see the idea so they could come in and say hey you know, this is okay but if we did it
just this way instead of that way it would be very effective for a lot of people, that has been my hope
and my objective ever since I learnt about Hamilton’s genius. I am hopeful these things don’t hap-
pen on their own, they need some help, and one of the reasons that Diana and I were eager to come
to Nevis at the same time that Mariana and Tom were coming was to be sure that we could make the
connections that we have made and introduce all of us to all of you and begin this process of cooper
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New York Celebrates with Nevis on Hamilton’s Birthday!New York Celebrates with Nevis on Hamilton’s Birthday!New York Celebrates with Nevis on Hamilton’s Birthday!New York Celebrates with Nevis on Hamilton’s Birthday!
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Jan 14, 2013: Publisher of News Americas and CEO of Hard Beat Communications, Felicia Persaud, was among more than six dozen people who showed up at the graveside of America’s first secretary of the treasury, Alexander Hamilton, to mark his 256th birthday on January 11th. Persaud, a Caribbean immigrant like Hamilton, united the soldier, general and financial genius with his birth-place again in death. As several including a direct de-scendant of Hamilton, Dough Hamilton; John Herzog, founder of the American Museum of Finance; Arthur Piccolo, chairman of the Bowling Green Association, Father Mark Bozzuti-Jones of Trinity Church and Rand Scholet, of the Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society looked on, Persaud slowly poured soil which she gath-ered from the grounds of Hamilton’s birth site on the island of Nevis, on his gravesite at Broadway and Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, NYC.
The “uniting” ceremony culminated a graveside tribute that included the reading of a proclamation from St. Kitts & Nevis Prime Minister, Dr. Denzel Douglas and the annual placement of a wreath from the American Museum of Finance. The group of almost 80, then moved inside to Trinity Church for a blessing from Father Bozzuti-Jones and key remarks on the “Ensuring Relevance Of Alexander Hamilton,” from Dr. Richard Sylla, Henry Kaufman Professor of the History of Financial Institutions and Markets and Professor of Economics, New York University. Sylla re-membered Hamilton as a talented young man “in many, many ways,” noting he was not just the Treasury Secretary but rose from being a revolutionary pamphleteer as a teen to a soldier, major, lawyer and constitutional reformer. Sylla credited Hamilton as the person who brought financial structure to the United States at only age 24, since he was just 47 when he died. “He believed that a national debt well managed could be a national blessing,” said the professor. “He had a solution to the debt increase, proposing combining taxes with paying down debt. We Americans have a lot to learn from Hamilton’s gifts, including on avoiding the fiscal cliff and con-taining the debt ceiling.
The birthday celebration for Hamilton ended on a high note with the first ever live simultaneous live webcast between Hamilton’s birthplace in Charlestown, Nevis, and the Museum of American Finance in New York City, at 48 Wall Street. The Museum sits on the spot where Hamilton founded
the Bank of New York, and just yards away from
Continued on page 19
the first U.S. Capital where Hamilton was made the First U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, September 11, 1789. The historic event that played to a global audience includ-ed a cake cutting ceremony at the Museum and an address from Prime Minister Denzil Douglas. “Alexander Hamil-ton For the 21st Century” was the theme organizers used to mark the historic date. The January 11th celebratory event was presented by The Bowling Green Association, The Museum of American Finance; the Alexander Hamilton Museum Committee of Nevis and the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society, Trinity Church and The Alexander Hamilton Awareness Society. Hamilton was born on January 11, 1757, on the island of Nevis, British West Indies. In 1777, Hamilton became General George Washington’s assistant. In 1788, he con-vinced New Yorkers to agree to ratify the U.S Constitu-tion. He then served as the nation’s First Secretary of the
Treasury. At the time, the nation was facing great foreign and domestic debt due to expenses incurred during the American Revolu-tion. Ever a proponent for a strong central government, during his tenure as Treasury Secretary, Hamilton butted heads with fellow cabinet members who were fearful of a central government holding so much power. Lacking their state loyal-ties, Hamilton went so far as to turn down New York’s oppor-tunity to house the nation’s capital in favor of securing backing for his economic program, dubbed the “dinner table bargain.” It was Hamilton’s belief that the Constitution gave him the au-thority to create economic policies that strengthened the central government. His proposed fiscal policies initiated the payment of federal war bonds, had the federal government assume states’ debts, instituted a federal system for tax collection and would help the United States establish credit with other nations. Hamilton stepped down from his position as Secretary of the Treasury in 1795, leaving behind a far more secure U.S. economy to back a strengthened federal government. On July 12, 1804, in New York City, Hamilton died of a gunshot wound that he sustained during a duel with Aaron Burr.
“I never expect a perfect work from an imperfect
man.” Alexander Hamilton
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ation between the work that Evelyn is doing, is wonderful, the work that the AHA Society is doing and the Museum
of American Finance and see where that will take us.
What does that look like? If we look at today, 2013 is the 225th anniversary of the Ratification of the US Constitution.
That’s a big deal in America, although America does not always see that. When Mariana and Tom went to Pough-
keepsie they had to convince the Poughkeepsie folks, which is where Hamilton was when the New York State vote
was taken. This is worth celebrating and finally they said, “Yeah, you know you’re right.” These years that we are in
right now are the anniversary years of the important elements of the earliest days of the American nation.
Well, let us look ahead; what is there in the future that we could be thinking would be useful or fun. It doesn’t have to
be always work and difficult academic, it could just be fun. 2014 will be the 225th Anniversary of Hamilton’s appoint-
ment as the First Secretary to the US Treasury. Why don’t we think that every high school senior would have a t-shirt
that says Hamilton was born on Nevis and is the man who made modern America. What else can we think when we
look at his history? What else can we find there, and I am eager to encourage that effort. Diana and I want to com-
memorate our visit. We know that forging a relationship requires more than a t-shirt. Diana and I want to commemo-
rate our visit here and the beginnings of a more meaningful and fruitful relationship. We want to contribute US$5,000
to the Nevis Historical and Conservation Society in order to begin this effort and have some monies for postage and
telephone calls.
Our visit here has been a tremendous privilege for us. I have looked forward to this visit for at least 25 or 30 years
and I’m very pleased that we are here, and we hope to be back soon and when we come back we hope that all of you
will be thinking of Alexander “Hammy” Hamilton and we thank you very much for your wonderful hospitality.
"To model our political system upon speculations of lasting tranquility, is to calculate on the weaker springs of the
human character." --Alexander Hamilton. This is from The Federalist, No. 34, ending of paragraph 4.
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Was Hamilton Duty Bound To Return Was Hamilton Duty Bound To Return Was Hamilton Duty Bound To Return Was Hamilton Duty Bound To Return Home? Home? Home? Home? By Rand Scholet, President, AHA SocietyBy Rand Scholet, President, AHA SocietyBy Rand Scholet, President, AHA SocietyBy Rand Scholet, President, AHA Society
With war fast approaching [early 1776] and King’s College about to shut down, Alexander Hamilton
had to decide what to do with his future. According to George Washington Parke Custis, “The trou-
bles increasing, Mr. Hamilton spoke of revisiting the West Indies, with a view to recruit his finances;
this the patriots of New York would not hear of for a moment; they had witnessed the powers of his
pen, and wished him to try the temper of his sword. ‘Well, my friends,’ said the gallant youth, ‘if you
are determined that I shall remain among ye, and take part in your just and holy cause, you must raise
for me a full company of artillery.”
[1] Henry Jones Ford argued that this story “harmonizes with other facts in his situation at this peri-
od.” Ford pointed out that Hamilton “had come to America to get a college education with funds pro-
vided by his West Indian relatives for that purpose,” but now “it may well have occurred to Hamilton
whether it was not his duty to return to the West Indies with his remaining funds.”[2]
[1] Custis, Recollections and Private Memoirs of Washington 50. Johan J. Smertenko repeats this story (Smertenko, Alexander
Hamilton 40). [2] Henry Jones Ford, Alexander Hamilton Ford 42.
